In precious metals trading action Thursday, palladium declined while gold, silver and platinum climbed. Gold and silver finished at their highest prices since February.
Gold for June delivery advanced $31.40, or 1.8%, to settle at $1,815.70 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The close was the highest since Feb. 12 when gold ended at $1,823.20 an ounce.
"Gold and silver prices are sharply higher and hit 10- and nine-week highs, respectively, in midday U.S. trading Thursday. The metals were lifted in part by a more bullish technical picture for both, a lower U.S. dollar index and U.S. Treasury bond yields backing off a bit from this week’s highs," Jim Wyckoff, a senior analyst at Kitco Inc, said in a daily research note.
Gold futures ranged from a low of $1,781.80 to a high of $1,818.60. They gained 0.5% on Wednesday, they shed 0.9% on Tuesday, and they climbed 1.4% on Monday.
Silver for May delivery rallied 95.5 cents, or 3.6%, to settle at $27.477 an ounce. The settlement was the highest since Feb. 25 when silver closed at $27.685 an ounce. Silver futures traded between $26.24 and $27.59. They dipped 0.1% on Wednesday, they fell 1.5% on Tuesday, and they soared 4.2% on Monday.
In other precious metals prices Thursday:
-
July platinum tacked on $28.80, or 2.3%, to $1,257.60 an ounce, ranging from $1,219 to $1,258.30.
- Palladium for June delivery fell $25.40, or 0.9%, to $2,947.40 an ounce, trading between $2,899.50 and $2,992. On Monday, palladium ended at a record settlement of $2,981.40 an ounce.
US Mint Bullion Sales in 2021
U.S. Mint bullion sales were unchanged Thursday. Below is a sales breakdown of U.S. Mint bullion products with columns listing the number of coins sold during varying periods. Products with an asterisk (*) are no longer available.
| US Mint Bullion Sales (# of coins) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday / This Week | Last Week | February Sales | March Sales | April Sales | 2021 Sales | |
| $50 American Eagle 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 7,500 | 121,000 | 55,500 | 38,500 | 406,000 |
| $25 American Eagle 1/2 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 9,000 | 0 | 0 | 31,000 |
| $10 American Eagle 1/4 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20,000 | 0 | 56,000 |
| $5 American Eagle 1/10 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55,000 | 0 | 150,000 |
| $50 American Buffalo 1 Oz Gold Coin | 0 | 2,000 | 16,000 | 33,500 | 11,000 | 122,000 |
| $1 American Eagle 1 Oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | 3,191,500 | 4,087,000 | 1,053,000 | 13,106,500 |
| $100 American Eagle 1 Oz Platinum Coin | 0 | 0 | N/A | 35,000 | 0 | 35,000 |
| Tuskegee Airmen 5 oz Silver Coin | 0 | 0 | N/A | N/A | 50,000 | 50,000 |
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